The present invention relates to improvements in the field of drop cable clamps. More particularly, the invention is directed to an improved wedge clamp for holding a cable suspended from a support.
Applicant has already described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,461 a drop cable clamp for suspending a coaxial television cable from a support while providing a loose cable portion extending from the clamp. Such a drop clamp comprises a conical body member formed with a longitudinal outer groove having a depth smaller than the diameter of the cable for receiving the cable such as to leave a cable portion protruding therefrom, and a conical wedge sleeve for mounting over the body member and formed with a longitudinal slot for passing the cable therethrough. The conical body member is also provided at its smaller end with means for connecting it to the support. Thus, in use, the wedge sleeve is mounted over the body member with the slot in axial alignment with the groove, the cable is inserted in the groove through the slot and the sleeve is rotated over the body member to clamp the cable therebetween.
The drop cable clamp of the type described above is generally capable of sustaining a load up to about 500 pounds. However, when it is desired to hold a multi-wire cable such as a telephone aerial cable, suspended from a support, the increased number of wires in the cable adds to the weight of the cable so that the load may exceed 500 pounds and reach 750 pounds or more, causing the sleeve of the drop clamp to open up and/or the sidewall of the body member to collapse. In addition, the longer the suspended cable is, the greater is the pull exerted by the cable. Adverse weather conditions also contribute to increasing the pull exerted by the cable on the clamp, thus increasing the load sustained by the clamp.